The Truth About Pivoting Careers After Motherhood with Georgia Lyons

Podcast

Jul 28

Dear Creator,

Not every career pivot is because of burnout. Sometimes you just sit on the front steps of your home and are about to break down because nothing feels resonate anymore. You know somewhere, deep inside, there is a change that needs to happen, but you can’t yet name it. Even after 10+ years of being in the same career — that you actually don’t hate. So instead of forcing a career path that’s no longer serving you anymore, you choose to make the pivot. It seems scary and a little chaotic, but it’s a journey that opens many doors, allows you to be yourself, and build your own business, on your own terms. That’s exactly what Georgia Lyons did and we get to hear her story in this Dear Creator episode.

Georgia helps ambitious women redesign how they work — taking their knowledge, passions, and strengths and turning them into flexible, purpose-driven work on their own terms. She’s spent 14 years building an incredible career in project management, helping lead the regeneration of Christchurch after the devastating 2011 earthquake. She was good at it. She wasn't burnt out. So why did returning to work after having her first baby leave her feeling claustrophobic and unsettled?

In this episode, Georgia shares her honest, unfiltered story of pivoting from project management into becoming a career pivot coach for mothers and why her own career change had nothing to do with hitting rock bottom. We talk about the awareness stage of a pivot, why "good on paper" isn't the same as "feels right," her go-to 3 Ps framework (Possible, Practical, Priority), the ladder of believability, and how to block out the noise when everyone online seems to have it figured out.

If you've ever felt the pull to change your career but couldn't quite name why, this conversation is for you.

Key Insights

You Don’t Need To Hit Rock Bottom to Want a Career Change

Georgia pushes back on the idea that a pivot has to come from burnout or hitting rock bottom. She says, "I don't hate my job. I don't hate my career. I'm actually not burnt out." Her point is that you can be grateful for a role and still not want to settle for a five or six out of ten when an eight, nine, or ten is possible — gratitude and wanting more aren't contradictory.

How Motherhood Changes Your Career Identity

The breaking point came while sitting on her front doorstep with her husband and toddler, in tears, saying she couldn’t keep doing it. She describes motherhood as shifting identity and values, and needing to relearn how to work with her own energy and boundaries. Not just a scheduling problem, but a deeper shift in who she was.

The First Sign You’re Ready to Pivot: Awareness

We both talk about how the first step to a pivot is awareness. It’s usually a feeling you can’t name yet. You know something isn’t right but don’t know what “right” looks like. She notes that having an outside, objective perspective from someone who doesn’t really know your background or situation, helps you finally name the feeling out loud, which she describes as a “permission slip to finally move forward.”

Why Clarity Comes From Action, Not The Other Way Around

Rather than waiting for full clarity before acting, Georgia’s approach is to “get in the sandpit and play around”. Testing small ideas, writing, creating content, and seeing how things feel in your body and in conversation with others. She tells clients they don’t need the full picture figured out, just an energizing first step, whether that’s upskilling, market research, joining a community, or networking.

Your Past Career Isn’t Wasted. It’s a Foundation.

Georgia draws a direct connection between her project management background and her coaching work now. Specifically, she uses reverse engineering with clients the same way she once managed projects. Her point to clients who feel like they’re starting from nothing” is that there is always a through line from past roles, and you’re never starting completely from scratch.

A Simple Framework for Planning a Career Pivot: The 3 P’s

She breaks down the pivot process into three levels to reduce overwhelm. What’s possible (a 3-5 year vision), What’s practical (a 12-month view), and What’s a priority (the next few weeks). She also describes the “ladder of believability” — taking next steps that feel edgy and uncomfortable but still doable, building confidence incrementally instead of reaching for big, far-off goals all at once.

Redefining Success On Your Own Terms

Georgia emphasizes that success has to be defined individually (love!!), since everyone’s circumstances differ (kids, no kids, full time work, caregiving, etc.) She notes we’re not taught this in school or university. We’re taught one linear, outcome-focused path and encourages clients to define their own “enough is enough” moment, which might mean working fewer hours but more intentionally, while prioritizing health, relationships, sleep, and nervous system regulation.

A Career Pivot Doesn’t Always Mean Quitting Your Job

Pivots can be small tweaks rather than dramatic leaps or changes. Even staying in the same role but having a conversation with a manager about schedule rhythm, or where you work from can create real change. She also references my Soft Pivot philosophy. Pivots don’t require reinventing yourself or your business overnight. I love how we agree on this!

Inner Work Is Ongoing, Not a One-Time Fix

Inner work exists at every stage of a pivot. She mentioned the quote, “new level, new devil”. It’s a constant process, not something you complete once. She references the think-feel-act cycle as well. A thought creates a feeling, the feeling drives an action, and the cycle continues, so catching and reframing unhelpful thoughts is an ongoing practice, not just a checklist item.

Georgia and I have so many similar perspectives when it comes to pivoting. It’s was a pleasure learning more about her story, her frameworks, and her work overall. If you’re a mom who is seeking a career pivot or going through change, you can work with Georgia in her group program, “Pivot Season”.

If you want to listen to the audio version, you can listen on Spotify or Apple. We also have a YouTube video! If you enjoyed this conversation and insights, please don’t forget to subscribe or rate the podcast, so we can continue telling creative entrepreneurs’ stories. It’d be greatly appreciated!